Nowadays, children cannot drink milk from bottles or play with their rubber duckies without worrying about phtalates; they cannot read books or play with toys without worrying about lead; they cannot use wipes and hand sanitizers because of probable bacterial resistance risks due to antimicrobials; and now they cannot even take a bath without worrying about formaldehyde!
No wonder many couples just try to avoid having kids if they have to go through all of these worries.
This latest study by the group Campaign for Safe Cosmetics are charging well-known brand children's bath products of being contaminated with formaldehyde and 1,4 dioxane, which are said to cause cancer.
The group specifically mentioned brands such as Johnson's Baby Shampoo, Sesame Street Bubble Bath, Grins & Giggles Milk & Honey Baby Wash, Huggies Naturally Refreshing Cucumber & Green Tea Baby Wash, Baby Magic Baby Lotion, and American Girl shower products.
The group said no regulatory standards limit formaldehyde or 1,4-dioxane in personal care products sold in the U.S.
"Products made in the U.S. and marketed for children should not contain chemicals linked to cancer," said Jane Houlihan, vice president for research at Environmental Working Group. "Congress needs to protect the most vulnerable members of our society by ensuring that the personal care products we use every day are free from harmful chemicals."Kids should probably hide from the cancer-causing sun as well since they can't use sunscreen without worrying about chemicals in it.
The cosmetic trade association Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) of course lambasted the activist group stating "the report is patently false and a shameful and cynical attempt to incite and prey upon parental worries and concerns in order to push a political, legislative and legal agenda."
According to PCPC, exposures to formaldehyde through personal care products are generally extremely low and that the chemical naturally occurs naturally in the air, released as a byproduct of certain vegetables and is even part of the human metabolism.
1,4 dioxane, meanwhile, is reportedly a byproduct that can form in
trace or miniscule amounts during the manufacturing process for
ingredients that help to ensure mildness of some personal care products
such as shampoo and bubble bath.
"The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other authoritative bodies throughout the world have long been aware of the potential presence of 1,4 dioxane and formaldehyde in personal care products and found them to be safe when present at low levels," said Dr. John Bailey, PCPC chief scientist.
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